Redemption
by Tsukino Kage Spectre
Summary: Geese Howard is a total bastard, right? But what happens when he decides to get back the family that left him because of this. And what's this about a student of Geese? Based on Rippen Drakuzz's "Dark Present, No Regrets"
1. Redemption

Redemption  
  
A fanfic by Tsukino Kage Spectre set in SNK's "King of Fighters" universe, with various cameos from other anime and games copyrighted by their owners.  
  
***  
  
Note:The opening scene occurs after Fatal Fury 3, which I set to be immediately after King of Fighters '96.  
  
***  
  
Geese Howard stood atop his tower, looking down upon his city. HIS city, Southtown. He liked the thought of that. Everything in this town was his, every last thing belonged to him. Every man, woman and child payed him, at the very least, lip service, and never dared to stand up to him. He was like a god to them.  
  
All but the Bogards and the Sakazakis. They and their friends dared to stand against him, and the really frustrating thing was that he could do nothing against it. Everytime he tried to crush them, he failed. All his henchmen could not compare to their fighting prowess, not even Billy Kane, his right hand man, or Ryuji Yamazaki, the insane Orochi assasin were of any use against them. The Jin Brothers turned out to be even more pathetic than he thought and were promptly crushed by the Bogards, especially Terry. In desperation, he turned to his old boss, Mr. Big, who ironically now worked for him, but the once great crime leader was no match for the Sakazakis. He even tried to manipulate his half-brother Wolfgang Krauser against them, but Krauser returned from his battles with Terry Bogard with more respect for the Lone Wolf than the last encounter. He also tried to secretly recruit Terry's love interest, Julia, to work for him, but that had ended disastrously. And with each meeting with the elder Bogard, he ALWAYS took a dive off the top floor of his building, to seemingly plummet to his death.  
  
It was somewhat amusing the first time around to see Terry's face when he realized that his arch-nemesis was still alive and kicking, but now it was just plain bloody ridiculous how badly he kept loosing to Terry. He knew that he now greatly surpassed Krauser's level, which was on par with Terry's, so why did he always lose? I mean, come on! Terry's defense was virtually non-existent. Like Krauser, he let his endurance handle what blows he took, barely blocking at all and commiting totally to the attack. Even his main defensive moves, the Rising Tackle, the Power Dunk, and the Power Geyser were all best used offensively. Geese on the otherhand, was far better balanced. He had an incredibly solid defense. Most blows passed him by, and in fact, helped him set up his opponent for his deadly throws and combo moves. His offense consisted of quick charging attacks and Ki blasts that allowed him to recover quickly, and his most powerful moves could deal devastating damage in both offensive and defensive use. His Ki blast had great range, and his fighting style was devastating in close quarters against any opponent.  
  
Why didn't he simply hire some professional gunmen to eliminate them? Even the best martial artist couldn't dodge a bullet if caught completely unawares. All he needed was the money to pay them off, and he had that in spades. Why then did he insist on challenging them one-on-one or sending underlings to do so?  
  
With a scowl, he thought once more of the elder Bogard, but his eyes were on the clock. It was almost midnight.  
  
'He's late,' thought Geese. And right at that thought, the door burst open to admit an unconscious Billy landing right at his feet, with Terry being framed in the doorway by the light from outside his office.  
  
"Geese!" screamed out the Lone Wolf. "You killed my father!"  
  
So saying, Terry launched himself at Geese for their tri-nightly fight, and as always, Geese smiled his way through it until he took a dive through the plate glass window. Terry crowed in his victory until he saw Geese grab the flagpole on the fiftieth floor and haul himself through an open window. Disappointed, he left immediately, no longer in a mood to fight, making sure to step on Billy's stomach and to kick Yamazaki in the ribs on his way out.  
  
Meanwhile, Geese felt the adrenaline rush fading from him as he calmed down, and thought to himself, 'that was fun.'  
  
He stopped at that. Could that be it? Was that why he could never win against Terry, because to do so would mean the end of their struggle, and he enjoyed himself too much with it, like Krauser did? Did he always intentionally lose?  
  
Turning that thought over in his head, he looked out his window to see Terry exiting the building. He had a lot to ponder that night.  
  
***  
  
Geese awoke the next morning without his usual bravado. He looked at the otherside of his four poster king-sized bed, and was struck by the fact that his wife was not there, as she had not been for close to four years, ever since she left with Rock, their son.  
  
'Correction,' thought Geese bitterly. 'I drove her away.'  
  
He still could not get Marie and Rock out of his mind, now four years later. Then, he thought he was only using her, that he took her for granted. How and when that turned to genuine love, he didn't know anymore, and in truth, didn't care. But he continued to take them for granted, and after he lost to Terry Bogard that first time, he became completely consumed with the need for vengeance, that he had completely neglected just about everything else, including them. And so, Marie divorced him, and took their son away with her, and he hardly noticed it.  
  
Until it was too late.  
  
Pushing that thought to the back of his head, he continued with his morning rituals, and got dressed for the office, which was a few floors above the fiftieth, the floor that he had converted into a penthouse.  
  
When he got to the office, he was greeted by Billy and was handed a file that Billy told him to look into. He looked very grave when he said that, and that tipped Geese off that it wouldn't be good news.  
  
The first photo he saw was of Yamazaki once more attempting to molest Billy's younger sister, Lily Kane, with the pole fighter fighting him off.  
  
Geese grew angry at that, and nearly ripped the picture apart. Growling, he asked Billy, "Where is that bastard?"  
  
"He went back to Hong Kong for the weekend," said Billy, his own face becoming flushed with anger. "Said he had some business to take care of. Ripper confirmed that he bought a ticket and got on a plane with his own eyes."  
  
"Make sure you send him a warning as soon as he comes back that I want to see him," replied Geese, still angry. "This has to stop, even if it means having to kill him."  
  
Then turning back to the file he saw from the marked date that it was taken just last night, before Terry arrived on his door. Flipping to the next page, and was dumbstruck by what he saw.  
  
The picture was of Rock, playing basketball with some other kids. But what made him do a double take was that TERRY, of all people, was also playing with him. Flipping the page, Geese was treated to the sight of Rock and Terry sharing ice cream and playing games with other kids, the Lone Wolf acting like an older brother to all the little tykes.  
  
Including his son.  
  
"When was this taken?" Geese asked Billy calmly. Inside though, his thoughts were in a whirl.  
  
"Just yesterday," answered the British fighter, his accent taking on a nervous tinge. He knew his boss well, and that his temper exploded the most the longer he held it in. Being calm was not a good sign.  
  
'So, even my family likes him more than me,' thought Geese bitterly. It was a hard pill to swallow, but facts are facts. He simply was not acceptable to outside society.  
  
'And whose fault is that?' Geese chided himself.  
  
"I'm going for a short walk," declared Geese to Billy. "I need to get some air. Don't follow me, just hold the fort for a while."  
  
"Will do Boss," answered Billy to Geese's retreating back.  
  
He respected Geese, and didn't want anything bad happening to him. It was that way with most of the people working for him, a marked difference with other crime lords. Those others got people to obey through simple fear, but Geese commanded true loyalty and respect.  
  
'He said I couldn't follow him' thought Billy. 'He didn't say anything about anyone else.'  
  
And with that, he sent Hopper out to follow their boss.  
  
***  
  
It was a cold day out in the sunshine. The wind was stirring up the dead leaves and sparse litter on the street with a vengeance.  
  
Geese hardly noticed. The cold of the wind was nothing to the cold dread in his heart. Many would dispute that Geese had no heart, and Geese himself would perpetuate that rumor. He had a reputation to keep after all.  
  
So then, if he was such a heartless bastard, why did he miss his family? Why then, does his thoughts keep returning to the Bogard brothers and their father?  
  
'It's time to face the facts,' Geese told himself. 'The time has come to be judged for your sins Geese, and you were found wanting.'  
  
His mental scolding was interrupted when he heard a shout in a nearby alley. Walking there quickly, he found a thug fighting with a redheaded girl in a red Chinese Tang and black pants, while a blonde haired kid watched. The redhead was winning.  
  
What truly grabbed Geese's attention though, was the fact that the eight-year-old boy was none other than Rock Howard, his son.  
  
"You alright Rock?" he asked as he stepped up to the boy, falling to one of his knees to look him in the eye. Geese spared a quick glance to see the redheaded girl finish up the thug. For some reason he couldn't explain, he felt no danger from her. From that glance, he could see that she was no older than sixteen, and that she had the gracefulness of formal martial arts training, though the style eluded his ability to identify.  
  
"Yeah, thanks mister," replied Rock. Then he scrunched up his face at Geese and took a closer look, frowning in the face of his father. "Do I know you? You seem awfully familiar."  
  
'He doesn't even recognize me,' Geese thought, depressed. Out loud he said, "Not really, though I knew your mother really well."  
  
"Really?" Rock asked innocently. "Great! Would you like to see her? We live just over there."  
  
So saying the little boy pointed to an apartment window on the third floor of the building across the street.  
  
"Maybe later," Geese replied. "We... didn't exactly part on the best of terms when we last saw each other, and that was years ago."  
  
"Oh," Rock looked somewhat dejected at that.  
  
"What exactly happened here anyway?" Geese asked.  
  
"That bad man tried to hurt me," replied Rock. "I just wanted to walk home from school, that's why I was passing here. She came and saved me."  
  
"Guess your alright now, huh?" asked the redhead to Rock.  
  
"Yes, thank you miss," gushed up Rock.  
  
"Well, go on," the girl said to Rock, pushing him on his way. "You'll worry your mom if you don't show up soon."  
  
With that, Rock broke into a run towards the homestretch, waving and shouting goodbye to the two people in the alley.  
  
"Well, see ya," the redhead told Geese as she turned to leave.  
  
"Wait," Geese called to her. This new variable in town intrigued his curiosity. "Who are you? I haven't seen you around town before, and I thought I knew everyone here who could fight like that. What are you doing here?"  
  
"Akiko Tsukino," the girl replied. "As for why I'm here, well, I'm looking for Geese Howard."  
  
Now Geese was even more intrigued. "What business do you have with him? Do you know who he is, what he does?"  
  
"I do," Akiko answered him, unaware that the object of her quest was staring her in the face. "Iori made it pretty plain to me. The King of Southtown, Lord of the Criminal Underworld, and all that."  
  
"You seem like a nice enough girl," Geese told her bluntly. "Why are you associating with scum like that? And Iori, as in Yagami? What's your connection to him?"  
  
"He's my cousin," replied the redhead with a grin. "My great-grandfather on my father's side had a lot of kids, but they were all girls. One of them married Tsuki Yagami, while mom married Kenji Tsukino, though the both of us aren't too far apart in age, only four years."  
  
Geese digested that. The way her relationship to the Insane Orochi Warrior worked, she was not of the Cursed Bloodline, and thus could not use Magatama no Orochi.  
  
"As for Howard," continued the girl cheerfully. "I'm a martial artist. I heard of the Hakkyosaiken Ryu and it's power, so I came here to challenge the practitioners. But if Iori is right, Terry Bogard is not worth my time. Only the Dark Side Hakkyosaiken Ryu of Geese Howard is of any use fighting, with it's powerful offense and defense. If I'm lucky, he might let me learn it."  
  
Geese was even more confused with that statement. This girl wanted to learn from HIM? Terry Bogard, hero of the masses, wasn't worth her time?  
  
The Flattery was building up his ego somewhat. It was refreshing considering the blows it was taking lately.  
  
"You know where to find him?" asked Geese to the girl.  
  
"Yeah," replied Akiko. "Big tower in the center of town. You can't miss it."  
  
"Well good luck then," Geese told her with a smile. "But you might want to wait an hour or so. He's usually not there at this time yet."  
  
"Thanks mister," the redhead said as she exited the alley, giving Geese another smile.  
  
Geese was smiling faintly himself. Turning to go back to his tower, he didn't notice that he'd started whistling a cheery tune, one he'd not heard since he was a little boy.  
  
"Geese!" shouted an angry voice, causing him to turn, his good mood somewhat dimmed but not yet entirely broken. "You killed my father!"  
  
Turning to the sound, he saw that it was Andy Bogard accosting him this time, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hopper taking cover, but getting a weapon ready just in case. That last made him smile a bit. 'At least there are people out there who like me, even if it's just the ones working for me.'  
  
With a sigh, Geese gave Andy his full attention, just in time to see the younger Bogard launch toward him feet first with his Cho Reppa Dan Super Desperation Move. Geese ducked and sidestepped, causing Andy to miss him and crash through the plate glass window of the store behind Geese.  
  
It was Andy's bad luck that it happened to be a women's lingerie shop, and today everything was on sale so the place was packed. Worse, he ended up in the change rooms.  
  
"Eeek! Pervert!"  
  
Righteous Female Fury Against Perverts. Poor, poor, Andy. May his soul rest in peace.  
  
"What a loser," muttered Geese under his breath as he went on his way, ignoring the screams of the damned coming from the store. It didn't take long for his good spirits from earlier to return though, and soon he was again whistling that same cheerful tune.  
  
***  
  
"Boss seems to be in a good mood," Ripper mentioned to Billy, as their employer returned. "That walk must have done him some good."  
  
Billy nodded and spied Hopper coming in. Calling him over, he was about to ask him what happened to Geese, when the boss himself came up to them.  
  
"Billy," Geese called to his lackey. "There's a redheaded girl coming here in a few minutes. Tell everyone to make her welcome and show her to my office."  
  
"Sure boss," Billy answered with a puzzled look. Sometimes Geese just does the weirdest things.  
  
"Oh, and Hopper," Geese turned to his other flunky.  
  
"Yes sir?"  
  
"Next time you try to follow me," Geese told him with a smile. "Try to be less insconspicuous."  
  
Hopper blushed a bit at that, as Geese left. Billy rushed to comply with his orders, but made Hopper tag along to tell him what happened on Geese's walk. Ripper also tailed them, his curiousity aroused.  
  
When Hopper was done explaining and Billy had finished with Geese's orders, they sat down by the employee's lounge and to wait for their guest, and talk about her.  
  
"I say it's a trap," Ripper said to both of them. "She's probably here to tear into the Boss. We should chase her out, or run her in circles. Or better yet, off 'er when she arrives."  
  
"I dunno," Hopper replied. "She didn't look threatening."  
  
"Look can be decieving," Ripper replied.  
  
"Still," Billy said. "Orders are to take her to him, so we do what the boss says. We'll take her to him, but I say we insist on looking at what goes on, just in case."  
  
Both men nodded at that, and it was at that moment that they got a call on the intercom from the front desk.  
  
Their quarry had arrived. Billy ordered her sent to Geese, via his instructions, but all three stooges were now on their way to their boss's office, hoping to spy on what goes on.  
  
***  
  
Geese was in his sanctum sanctorum, the room on the top floor with the oriental decorations where he always fought Terry, when his visitor arrived. Sensing the presence of his lackeys, he decided to ignore them for now.  
  
Akiko was somewhat startled to see that the object of her quest was the same man she met on the street. "You?!"  
  
"You were expecting someone else?" Geese chuckled at her. "A question though. To cut to the chase, I know what you're here for, but why challenge me like this? In fact, why challenge anyone?"  
  
"Why not?" the redhead replied. "The best way to learn is to fight greater skilled opponents and learn from them. And the best are always worth going who-knows-where for. It's the only way I've learned to do things like this, but it is effective."  
  
"Let's get it on then," Geese told her. "But I warn you girl, I don't hold back." So saying he got into his stance  
  
"Fine by me," the redhead fell into a slouching stance that made Geese think of Iori.  
  
Geese attacked with his Double Reppuken, looking to see what Akiko could do, and Akiko countered it a her own Ki blast which she called the Moko Takabisha. As the two blasts dissipated, Geese charged her with his Jaiken, but she dodged out of the way and countered with a series of quick punches. Geese took the first three punches and they hurt a LOT. He was able to grab her left arm as it came for a forth lighting fast past punch and used the Atemi Nage Joudan to throw her to the opposite side of himself. Then he tried to stomp on her, but she rolled to the side and stood up, unhurt.  
  
Despite himself, Geese was impressed. This girl took his Atemi Nage Joudan with virtually no damage, while his ribs were stinging just from her three blows. He resolved not to underestimate her.  
  
Akiko launched herself towards Geese with a move she called the Shooting Star Kick. Geese was, again, able to catch it with his Atemi Nage Joudan, but instead of being able to throw her, she kicked at his hands with her other leg, then, once on her feet, she launched a new attack with a fast combination of punches and kicks. Geese dodged wildly and contered with his own custom combination attack, the Deadly Rave, and proceeded to pound on the deceptively small girl, but she was able to block all his blows, and the Ki blast at the end to her face was the only thing to get through, but she shook it off immediately.  
  
Looking for a new way to attack, Geese took to the air with his Hishonichirinzan attack, coming down on her with a slashing fist burning with dark energy, but Akiko simply threw up her right fist and called out "Hiryu Shoten Ha!" causing a small tornado to form around her, catching Geese by suprise and sending him spiralling upwards until it dissipated.  
  
Finding himself in the air, Geese immediately sent a Double Shippuken to Akiko who was forced to dodge. The Ki blasts' recoil caused Geese to rise higher in the air slightly and he sent another Shippuken to Akiko who countered with the Moko Takabisha again.  
  
When Geese's feet touched the floor, Akiko launched herself to him, seemingly sliding on the ground. Grabbing his face, she smashed it into the ground, and amazingly, Geese's world exploded into purple as he felt her let go and he was flung away on his back.  
  
'Magatama no Orochi!' Geese realized. 'So she can use it? Damn!'  
  
Before he could recover, Akiko was on him again with the Yaotome technique, slashing away and he was once more sent flying with a purple blast. Staggering to his feet, he saw come at him with a Forward Slash Kick, her right foot coming to his stomach covered in purple flames. He caught it with his Atemi Nage Chuudan, and threw her far away to get him time to recover. Those flames had hurt his hands. He threw out a quick Reppuken in her direction just to get more time, and she countered with a Dark Thrust, both blast dissipating upon collision.  
  
Breathing hard, he saw the redheaded demon once more on the attack, this time from the air. He caught her foot again, but when thrown to the floor, she rolled with the blow and came back with lightning quick kicks. Geese dodged and struck with a spin kick, catching her in the jaw and sending her sprawling.  
  
Geese felt somewhat exhilarated. He had finally, after all this time landed a solid hit. The girl got up, but was somewhat groggy, and he launched another Jaiken, solidly connecting. As she flew, he followed with the Thunder Break, and saw her collapse from the pain.  
  
Panting, Geese tried to catch his breath, the effort was simply stopped by the fact that the redhead got to her feet quickly and launched another attack at Geese.  
  
"Orochinagi!" shouted the redhead. And indeed, it was the Orochi Wave, Kyo Kusanagi's Desperation Move coming at him, but it was purple in color, no doubt due to the Orochi power.  
  
Geese ducked, but was caught by the edge of the blast, causing him to writhe in pain. He saw her coming at him with a high flying kick, and he unleashed his own Super Desperation Move.  
  
"Raging Storm!" and indeed, a veritable storm of energy flew up around Geese, winds picked up greatly in his general vicinity. It hit the redhead in the air and threw her across the room with a scream.  
  
Geese, was now completely spent. He threw the last of his energy into that move and had nothing left to give.  
  
Which was why his eyes bugged out to see Akiko charging up a Ki blast at him while sitting up with her back against the wall.  
  
"Shinku Hadoken!"  
  
Geese's world exploded in white and went dark.  
  
***  
  
Groaning, Geese awoke to find himself in his own bed, in his own room, wearing his own dressing gown. He had a bandage going round his ribs, and a headache the size of his own tower.  
  
"Here boss," Billy handed him a glass of water and an Aspirin tablet. "This should help."  
  
"Thanks Billy," Geese said. He slugged the tablet and the water down quickly. Anyone else, he would not have been so trusting, but he trusted his three stooges, Billy most of all, as they had been like sons to him. The thought reminded him of Rock and how badly he had failed him and Marie, causing his depression to return. For now though, he pushed it aside and asked Billy about Akiko.  
  
"She's in the next room getting patched up by the Doc," Billy replied. "Ripper and Hopper are with her."  
  
Grunting, Geese left to go there, with Billy following along like a puppy. He saw Akiko with bandages along her ribs wearing a loose blue button shirt with jeans. She was sitting on the bed crosslegged, with Ripper and Hopper eyeing her warily from a corner of the room by the door.  
  
Geese nodded thanks to the two and told all three to leave, since he wanted a private discussion wiht their guest.  
  
"You were as good as I heard, if not better," Akiko told him. Her eyes were closed when he got to the room, but now they opened and he noticed that they were the color of the clear summer sky.  
  
"If you were that good already," Geese told her. "Why come to learn from me?"  
  
"Because I want to be better still," replied Akiko.  
  
"You're incredibly niave if you think anyone, especially me, would do anything for free," Geese snorted at her.  
  
"What do you want then?" Akiko answered with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"I want your services," Geese told her. "I could use figthers of your caliber around here."  
  
"I don't rob or kill."  
  
"Then don't," Geese replied. "All I need is an occasional spy, tournament fighter, or intimidating guard."  
  
"I can do that I guess," the redhead replied. "You have a deal."  
  
"Done," Geese affirmed. "And for your first lesson after you rest up, you meet me at the top floor, the same place we fought."  
  
And with that, Geese turned and left.  
  
***  
  
"Maybe the boss is mellowing out in his old age?" Ripper asked Hopper.  
  
"Fool, he's only in his early forties!" replied Hopper. "He's not that old. He's not even middle aged yet!"  
  
"But why else would he take a student on?" Ripper argued. "Much less someone like that. She can use Magatama no Orochi, so she obviously knows Yagami. She's likely another of the Orochi clan."  
  
"Dunno," Hopper replied. "One thing's for sure. He's up to something, right Billy?"  
  
Billy Kane had been silent up to this point, but nodded his head to signify that he heard the question. "Yeah, but it's not our place to ask. Just trust the boss, he always comes through. But if she is Yagami, then she is not someone to mess around with."  
  
The duo became silent at that.  
  
***  
  
So it went that days followed one another, and Akiko got to train in Geese's techniques. Geese himself improved noticeably, but he still lost to Terry every three nights. Akiko was a quick study, and in three months, had learned all of Geese's fighting style and techniques, including the Raging Storm. It was quite a surprise to Geese when she pulled that move out in their sparring match (if you call trying to beat each other to death sparring).  
  
Geese also learned a few of her moves, much to her suprise. Mostly the ones not involving Magatama no Orochi, like the Hadoken, the Hiryu Shoten Ha, and the speed techniques she used.  
  
Geese surprised himself by opening up to her his past, including his father, his half-brother, the Bogards, and his wife and son. There was just something about Akiko that seemed to scream out that she would never hurt anyone, even him.  
  
Akiko was somewhat surprised to learn that the boy she saved in the alley sometime ago was the same Rock Howard who was her sensei's son. And the look on his face at the mention of his fractured family was very heartwrenching.  
  
Geese himself did not pry much into her past, though he did learn somethings. Iori was indeed a cousin, but for some reason, even if not directly linked to the part of the family with Orochi blood, she was able to use Orochi power. She mentioned another cousin, Ranma Saotome, whose father was her first teacher, a cruel man named Genma. Then she spoke of how they learned from Ku Lon and Happosai. She spoke of chancing a meeting with another wandering martial artist, Ryu Hoshi, and learning his techniques while fighting with him. They were deceptively simple looking, but were in truth very complex. If he had not stumbled upon Sheng Long, Ryu's old teacher, she would never have figured them out and mastered them.  
  
And so, more days passed by, as Akiko did some work for Geese in his legitimate businesses. Suprisingly, she was very bright and good at math, so much that he ended up putting her in accounting.  
  
***  
  
One day, Geese got a visit from Krauser, who was in town to fight with Terry again. After that fight, Krauser decided to visit his elder half-brother. Geese was genuinely glad to see him, something that once was not true. It took them many years of hating each other, but both learned to eventually bury the hatchet caused by their father between them by agreeing that it was the old man's fault and leaving it at that. Nowadays, they acted more like real brothers should, bickering and fighting with one another verbally and physically, but always good-naturedly, with a lot of making up afterwards, and some brotherly support when needed.  
  
"So what's this about you taking a student?" Krauser asked casually as he and Geese reclined in laz-e-boys on the top floor. It was after their traditional reunion spar, and this time, Geese was the clear victor. It seemed that training Akiko had also improved him greatly.  
  
"Akiko Tsukino," Geese replied. "I don't know why I did it actually, but I don't regret it. Maybe I could get to like teaching."  
  
"You? A teacher?" Krauser looked at Geese incredulously. "Don't take this the wrong way brother, but that is hardly believable."  
  
"I know," Geese replied. "Maybe I'm just getting old."  
  
"Or maybe you miss your wife and son," Krauser told him. "Don't lie to me Geese, and don't lie to yourself. You like being a father, and losing that is making you depressed."  
  
"I know," Geese said morosely. "But what do I do? It's too late for me to change."  
  
"Never too late for anything," said a cheerful voice from the doorway. Akiko entered with a batch of folders for Geese, and nodded to the two men.  
  
"Never too late to teach an old dog new tricks."  
  
"And may I inquire of your identity fair lady," Krauser said to her with smile. He was in full chivalry mode as he stood up and extended a hand to her.  
  
"Akiko Tsukino sir," Akiko told him with a blush, extending her own hand to grasp his. Rather than a hand shake though, Krauser brought it up to his mouth for a kiss, causing the girl to blush. "At your service. I merely came to deliver these reports to Mister Howard."  
  
"Wolfgang Krauser my dear," the big man grinned at her. "The old man here, believe it or not, is my elder half-brother."  
  
"Old man?" Geese told him indignantly, forgetting that he had himself mentioned that he was getting old. "I'm not a day over forty one, and you yourself are only a year younger than me."  
  
"I never said I was young," Krauser kept the grin on continously.  
  
Akiko handed the folder to Geese and left as he opened the first one. once she was gone, Krauser turned to his half-brother.  
  
"She's right you know," Krauser said, this time serious. "You can still be the man Marie wants, the kind of man Rock can look up to. You're already legitimizing your businesses, and in a week, you should be completely done. It's not too late."  
  
Geese was left to ponder that as Krauser left.  
  
***  
  
At the week's end, Geese was resolved. He couldn't go on like this anymore. He wanted his family back. Firming up his resolve, he went to Marie.  
  
To say that Marie was suprised to see her ex-husband on her doorstep, was quite the understatement. She knew Geese had a lot of pride, and for him, this was like begging so he can't bring himself to do it.  
  
What followed was for Geese a rather humiliating but somehow uplifting experience. He literally got down on his hands and knees and begged Marie to come back, pouring his heart out to her.  
  
The amazing thing was that this led to waking up in Marie's arms in her bedroom.  
  
The next day, Marie and Rock moved into his penthouse. Rock was surprised that the 'nice man' he met a month ago was his father, whom everyone, even the normally nice Terry, said was a total bastard. Everyone except Akiko-oneesan, as she told him to call her. She was the only one who had nice things to say about his father, and all that he really knew was from her. She even taught him some martial arts that she said she learned from Geese.  
  
When Geese learned that, he smiled and hugged Rock, and internally swore to thank Akiko the next time he saw her.  
  
Geese was so happy Marie still loved him. She even agree to marry him again. He was surprised that it was Akiko who told Marie about Geese's latest activities. It seemed that the redhead had befriended them behind his back, becoming like an older sister to Rock.  
  
At this point, Geese was finally a happy man.  
  
***  
  
The second wedding of Geese Howard and Marie Heinlein Howard was a quiet affair, attended by Krauser as best man, the stooges, and some other employees ans friends, including a suprising Rugal Bernstein, who was apparently still alive, and in fact was once more whole. Gone was the Robotic hand and the electronic eye implant, what was there was purely organic and human. On the bride's side was her brother Kain with Grant, his best friend, and several other friends.  
  
Akiko however, had vanished. A citywide search for her had turned up fruitless. An inquiry to Yagami had him denying any recent contact with her, and a look at the Saotome family by some private eyes showed that Ranma was dead for years now, with Genma in jail as an accessory to murder along wiht his best friend Soun Tendo. The suspects, Akane Tendo and Ryoga Hibiki, were on the run. Nodoka had taken on her old maiden name, Masaki, but denied any knowledge of Akiko, as did her father Katsuhito, and her nephew from her youngest sister Achika, Tenchi. The Tsukino family of Juuban, which was related to the Yagamis and Masakis had no one in the family with that name or description.  
  
What was surprising was the rumor that Ranma Saotome had a shapeshifting curse that caused him to change into a girl who was a dead ringer for Akiko. But that couldn't be, since by the time Akiko would have showed up on Geese's doorstep, Ranma would have been dead and buried already.  
  
The mystery was never solved, but it was never forgotten. Geese and his family would often think about her in private moments, and how she changed their lives for the better, wishing her well, wherever she was.  
  
***  
  
(The following scene is from Fatal Fury Realbout)  
  
"Geese!" Terry shouted, lunging for his rival's outstretched hand as he fell off the balcony, catching him just in time.  
  
Geese looked up to see Terry concerned at him. That was a change. Usually, the Bogards wanted to kill him.  
  
"Why don't you just let go," Geese told him. "Then you can finally avenge your father's death."  
  
"No!" Terry shouted at him. "My father is already resting in peace. Much that I don't like you Geese, I won't deprive Rock of his father, like you did to me."  
  
Geese thought of that, still hanging by Terry's arm, and with a shudder realized that all this time, he had become exactly like his father, Rudolf Howard, the man he hated more than anything, and how he almost repeated those sins to Rock. Taking Terry's other hand, he hauled himself up into the balcony, just in time for Marie and Rock to arrive to give him a hug.  
  
Terry moved to leave but was stopped by a laugh from the balcony. it was not an evil laugh, but rather, was like the tinkling of gentle bells. Everyone turned to the sound to see Akiko sitting on the railing of the balcony, smiling at them. However, she looked different. Gone was the cute sixteen year old, and what was there was a stunning vision of beauty in her early twenties wearing white silk.  
  
Terry had a nosebleed and fainted.  
  
"Akiko!" the Howards surged to her, and she was smothered in a group hug. Even Geese joined in, happy to see his old protoge.  
  
"Hi everyone," she said, breaking free of the hug.  
  
"Who are you really?" Geese asked her, when they had all calmed down. "Everyone asked about your identity couldn't give a positve clue."  
  
"That is quite a story, but I'll tell you," Akiko replied. "Ranma Saotome's old man was just as bad as yours, if not worse. And when he was brutally murdered by two people he had trusted implicitly, his soul went up to heaven for the usual afterlife audience with God."  
  
"You..." Geese began, but was stopped by Akiko's smile, and the redhead continued.  
  
"Imagine his suprise to learn that he had already had quite a few past lives, but had lived them all as women. This was his first life as a man. For someone who was raised to an old fashioned doctrine of being a 'man above men' who thought poorly of the other sex, it was quite a surprise. Anyway, the creator was willing to forgive his faults, but before he would be sent to his next life, he was supposed to perform a job to help another lost soul, who was similarly treated poorly by his father and grew up without proper guidance into a real sad man."  
  
"And that, is how I came to be here Geese," Akiko directed that last to Geese.  
  
"You're..." Geese was interrupted by the sight of pearly white wings appearing on Akiko's back, spreading for a nine foot wingspan. Giving a wave to an astonished Marie and Geese, she bent down to Rock, now eleven years old, and planted a kiss on his forehead.  
  
"A parting gift for you little brother," Akiko told him. "Thanks to the two of you too sensei, Mrs. Howard. In a way, you were all more a family to me than my old one was."  
  
And so saying she disappeared in sparkles of light. Around Rock now, were purple glowing wings sprouting from his back to some five feet across, which disappeared a few moments later.  
  
"I saw a beautiful angel," Terry mumbled in a daze.  
  
"We all did Terry," Geese told him, wiping a tear away as he smiled and held his family. "We all did."  
  
***  
  
Author's notes  
  
Aww, isn't that heartwarming?  
  
I admit, I like Geese a lot. The evaluations I gave in the story of his and Terry's fighting styles were accurate. Geese is well balanced. With Terry, his Power Dunk is easily countered, his Rising tackle too slow to be effective as it was meant to be an aerial counter, and his Power Geyser and it's variants, along with the Power Charge, have poor range. While I do like to play him, I usually stick to Burn Knuckle, Crack Shot, Power Wave, and Buster Wolf to win. Iori is much better to play, and also Geese, if only his Desperations and Supers weren't so hard to do. Rock Howard rules them all though (except maybe Iori).  
  
As you may guess, this has elements of "Sailormoon" by Naoko Takeuchi, "Street Fighter" by Capcom and "Tenchi Muyo" by 'I-don't-know-who-made-this'. The main crossover was from "Ranma One Half" by Rumiko Takahashi, but the interpretation of the characters was mine, though inspired by the work of Rippen Drakuzz' "Dark Present, No Regrets", Ramza Lionheart's "Geese Howard Through Time and Space" and Redpriest17's "The Tenth Hakkeshu". If I forgot to credit someone for another borrowed idea, please tell me via the reviews on ff.net or email (thanks Ramza Lionheart).  
  
In this, I changed the ending to Real Bout Fatal Fury. Geese DID NOT plummet to his death, and in fact, both he and Krauser changed their tune. Rock does not have to be orphaned, and Marie does not disappear. Kain doesn't take over the family business only to lose his head.  
  
Also, I gave a reason for Rock's knowledge of Geese's moves, and that 'purple wings' thing in his win pose from "Mark of the Wolves" and "Capcom versus SNK 2".  
  
And, let's face it. Andy IS a loser. He has a girl like Mai and he hasn't even married her yet (or at least hit the sack), his Super Move is just as easy to avoid as I mentioned in the story above, and he's always taken poor Mai for granted. What the hell does she see in the dumb lug anyway? Maybe Mai's ending from "SNK Gal Fighters" is right. Maybe Andy really IS a woman ^_^'.  
  
As for Ranma being murdered by Akane and Ryoga, well, that story's going to be long in coming out since I have no idea on how to write it yet and there's a lot to finish first.  
  
Anyone who wants to write a sequel, prequel, or sidestory to this is welcome to do so, but please e-mail me first with your idea, since I want to see what you're up to.  
  
I might add something here, I might not. In any case, this is meant only as a one-shot, but I might go back to this particular story sometime later.  
  
There are always possibilities.-_-  
  
P.S.Please read "Tables Turned". ^_^' 


	2. Oh Angel

Oh Angel  
A Songfic by Tsukino Kage Spectre based on "Fatal Fury" and "Mark of the Wolves" by SNK  
  
***  
  
Whoa-oh! Oh Angel!  
(We see the back of Rock Howard in his 'Mark of the Wolves' attire walking in a darkened large area, shilhouted by a bright light like the end of a tunnel...)  
Come greet the dawn, it's a brand new day!  
(... Only to come out into the light , with a close up of his face as he closes his eyes and slowly opens them again...)  
Whoa-oh! Oh Angel!  
(... turning around, he sees across from him is a large man in shadows, he is in a ready stance...)  
Let burn the passion that fires your soul!!  
(... and with a smile Rock drops into one of his own.)  
  
Each lonely night I get through without you becomes my victory  
(They go at each other, but the man remains a shillhoute...)  
Each empty night I fight against the light that is my destiny  
(... trading blows back and forth, they move into the darkened area, now a little more lit by the light from outside, but still in shadows.)  
Yet, I know that having might don't mean you're right  
(Rock does a double Reppuken...)  
I can't be both cruel and kind!  
(Only to have the man jump over and away, letting loose two large Ki blast his way...)  
When nothing makes sense I look up at the clouds in the sky  
(... Rock sidesteps and launches into his Hard Edge, a running elbow first followed by an optional straight hand thrust...)  
They don't answer but I still ask why...  
(... only to have the dark figure catch him and throw him away.)  
  
Stand tall, you won't fall!  
(Getting up, he charges again into a Rage Run...)  
Even a wolf gets away  
(... Stopping at the last minute behind his attacker...)  
Now and then run into the sun  
(... he juggles him with the Rising Tackle...)  
Sharpen your claws, bare your fangs and go on!  
(... and lands into a stance to see his opponent smile as he gets up.)  
  
Run your own race--why go for second place?  
(In the sidelines by the left is Bonne Jenet, Hotaru Futaba, Mary Ryan, Mai Shiranui, Xiang Fei and Marie Heinlein Howard, now visible as the light gets brighter...)  
Go on and grab a star!  
(and on the right are the Bogards, Geese's stooges, Kain, Grant, Joe Higashi, the father and sons Kim, and Raiden.)  
You can survive. You gotta stay alive!  
(Rock looks at his opponent and both launch at each other, Rock in a running crouch, the other shoulder first.)  
Heaven is not that far.  
(They collide and immediately both execute the Deadly Rave, countering each other blow per blow...)  
When you're on the edge you pledge to live just for today  
(... only to both fly away via the Ki blasts released at the end.)  
Ain't no sense livin' in the past!  
(Growling, they both get up, and the man attacks shoulder first again...)  
Look ahead and you'll see that tomorrow has already come  
(Rock catches the punch that followed and used his Crack Counter to kick the his foe away...)  
Time heals all wounds and love does go on!  
(... then lets loose with the Rage Dunk, smashing him to the ground with a burst of bluish energy.)  
  
Stand tall, you won't fall!  
(The man dizzyly gets up...)  
Courage! You stumble and then  
(... and Rock is seen running toward him with the Shine Knuckle...)  
So that you run into the sun  
(... he catches it and throws Rock over him...)  
Seek out those songs which have not yet been sung!  
(... and Rock looks up to see him coming from above with a crescent of energy in front.)  
  
People do fall in love  
(Rock gets onto his feet quickly...)  
Though they may swear that the pain won't let go forevermore  
(... and executes a Raging Storm...)  
I'll burn the flame of your dreams in my soul  
(... which catches his opponent and sends him flying away into a wall. The man slumps and doesn't get up.)  
  
Whoa-oh! Oh Angel!!  
(Rock gets into his win pose, the one where wings come out of his back then disappear. The crowd surges forward and around Rock in congratulation...)  
Come greet the dawn, it's a brand new day!  
(... as Marie and the stooges go to tend to the man, who, as the light gets brighter, is revealed to be none other than Geese Howard, who smiles at his wife and son...)  
Whoa-oh! Oh Angel!!  
(... and Rock, who sees it, smiles back...)  
Let burn the passion that fires your soul!!  
(... only to turn red at kisses to each cheek from Jenet and Hotaru, who giggle a bit at his embarassment.)  
  
***  
  
Author's Notes:  
Argh! Dammit, you wouldn't believe that I had to write this twice since my computer crashed while I was typing the first one (curse you Gates!).  
Anyway, speaking of Gates, though I never played it I heard that the new enemy of Megaman X in X6 is named Gate (as in the singular). Guess Capcom is also ticked off at the Windows Washout (get it? Guess not. ^_^').  
Also, in "Geese Howard Through Time and Space", Rock is shown to have a thing for Hotaru, and it is at least a little reciprocated, though i don't think this is officiated by SNK. This fanfic by Ramza Lionheart is not a basis for this work though. I did not include any romance between the two here, it is merely a fun thing I added to have Rock be between two admittedly beautiful women. There are at present no plans on where Rock's romance will go, and I won't write any stories about it yet since I have no idea on what direction to go. Rock and Hotaru are a possibility though, and I acknowledge here that I saw Ramza Lionheart do it first, though if anyone else did, I don't know it.  
This is in truth, set at a later date in the same continuum as my other work 'Redemption'. Think of it as a sidestory or omake. 


	3. Redemption II

Redemption II: Many Happy Returns  
  
A fanfic by Tsukino Kage Spectre based on "The King of Fighters", "Mark of the Wolves" and "Fatal Fury" by SNK with cameos from various other series belonging to their respective owners.  
  
***  
  
Note: This is a sequel to Redemption, my earlier work, and will not make sense if you don't read that first.  
  
***  
  
Little Terry Bogard, just turned eleven, watched as his father fought with Geese Howard, the man he once called friend. His brother Andy, one year his junior, was in too much shock to move as he saw Jeff Bogard took a pummeling. In horror, he saw the wave of energy moving towards Jeff, seeming to get larger and larger as it drew near and Geese poured more energy into it. As it finally reached Jeff, the intensity of the wave was so great that it totally engulfed him, the bright, white energy spreading all over as Geese laughed maniacally.  
  
When the light cleared, there was no sign of Jeff Bogard. Little Terry and Andy wept, thinking of how their father had just been disintegrated.  
  
***  
  
Fifteen years after that incident, twin screams broke the silence of the night. In their separate homes, one in Southtown, the other at a certain dojo in Japan, the Bogard brothers awoke to mutual, remembered pain. What is perhaps the true irony of the situation, though, was that a THIRD scream had joined in their cacophany this night, having also shared the same dream/memory. This time though, he was seeing it in a different light.  
  
Geese Howard, along with the Bogards, often dreamt of those same events which forever altered three lives at the ending of one. Unlike the brothers who thought of it as a nightmare, Geese had once looked upon the events with pride and satisfaction, thinking highly of how he got his 'revenge' against Jeff. This time though, the first time he dreamt of Jeff since having reunited with his family, he couldn't help but feel that that was the worst mistake he'd ever made in his life.  
  
When he had lashed out at Jeff all those years ago, he had done so out of anger. Anger that he had been passed over for such a pathetic weenie to become Tung Fu Rue's heir. The same anger that had driven a wedge between him and Krauser when their bastard of a father turned his back on his mother and himself. It was that anger that drove his wife away the first time.  
  
The anger that earned him the undying hatred of the Bogards, the greatest bane of his life. Sighing, Geese carefully got up. This night, he wsa sleeping alone since his wife was out of town. Marie had gone to participate in a chess tournament in England and she took little Rock with her. She had called earlier to say that she was coming back tommorrow morning to Southtown.  
  
Geese thought back on Jeff. He had killed him out of anger, and that act had irrevocably set him down the dark path for the years that followed until Marie came into his life. Then, he was thinking of how his father abandoned him, and how he did not want such a thing to repeat as Tung Fu Rue abandoned him as well. In his anger and haste, he had made the Bogard brothers orphans. Truly, his anger was a terrifying thing.  
  
It was only now, when age had cooled his temper, did he look back and see what a fool he was to act in the heat of anger. He truly wished that he could still fix this mess, but what's done is done.  
  
"Is that what you really want?" inquired a soft, feminine voice.  
  
Geese whirled around at the sound, but recognized the person by the voice alone. How could he forget this girl after all?  
  
As he came face to face with Akiko Tsukino in all her heavenly attire, Geese smiled sadly. "Somehow, I'm not surprised. You always seem to turn up when I dwell the most on my regrets. The best part of course, is that you've always managed to help me overcome them."  
  
"Hello to you too Sensei," Akiko laughed, sounding like little bells. "And yes, you're right. You are being given a second chance to do this right. The past is the past though, and you must not change it, but it doesn't mean that you can't change the present or the future."  
  
"What do you mean?" Geese asked confused.  
  
"You'll see," Akiko smirked at him as she turned to sparkling motes of light and vanished. Shrugging, Geese went back to bed, thinking of puzzling it out tommorrow.  
  
***  
  
Geese felt a pain on his back, and instantly, he awoke. What he did find was shocking. He wasn't in his room, but rather in what looked like a rather cheap apartment or hotel room.  
  
"What the hell?" Geese looked around for anything to indicate his whereabouts, and his eyes fell upon a newspaper. He looked at the headline, then the date and his eyes bugged out.  
  
"This can't be right!" Geese exclaimed. "This paper is dated the day I killed Jeff!"  
  
Soft giggling came behind him and he turned to see Akiko materializing in dust motes of light, her usual method of travel it seemed.  
  
"Good morning Geese," Akiko greeted him with a smile.  
  
"Akiko! Whats going on?" Geese asked her.  
  
"Remember last night?" Akiko inquired.  
  
"You mean..." Geese couldn't continue the thought as he sank back to sit on the bed.  
  
"Yes indeed," Akiko told him. "This is the day that Jeff Bogard was supposed to die. You get to do it all over again Geese, and this time you can do it right."  
  
"I-I," Geese stammered. Then he perked up. "I can change it? I can make it so Jeff didn't die?"  
  
"Yes and no," Akiko mysteriously replied. "There are limits to what you can do."  
  
"What do you mean?" Geese replied. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Well," Akiko began. "First of all, you must not be recognized as Geese Howard in this time, since there's already another of you running about."  
  
Geese nodded at that. It made a certain sort of sense.  
  
"Second," Akiko continued. "You can't contact your previous self and tell him anything about the future. In fact, you can't tell anyone else for that matter."  
  
Geese just nodded again absorbing all this.  
  
"The only exceptions to the first two rules are Tung Fu Rue and Jeff Bogard himself, but you can't tell them until after you saved Jeff's life," Akiko continued on. "Also, you can't be allowed to change any other event other than Bogard's death. That means that you don't mess with anything else, no matter how tempted you are."  
  
Geese thought about that. It was pretty much what he expected really. Geese was not stupid. He realized that anyone mucking about with time could unleash a disaster unwittingly. The forces of heaven meant to give him this opportunity for a quick in and out job, and only that. He could deal with it.  
  
"Finally," Akiko summed up. "Terry and Andy must become as they were, so that if you do save Jeff, you have to make it look like he still died and then make him disappear until your present time."  
  
"How the heck do I do that?" Geese exclaimed.  
  
"Leave that to me," Akiko assured him. "I'll simply transport you both back to the present at a signal to ensure that Bogard disappears to leave Terry and Andy. It might seem cruel to both of them, but the world is a better place if they grow up as they did anyway. You simply have to arrange it that Bogard will appear to be dead."  
  
Geese's mind went on a whirl, thinking of plans on how to do just that.  
  
"Anyway, I've got to go," Akiko said. "Just call if you need me."  
  
With a goodbye from Geese, Akiko disappeared once more to leave the older man to his plotting.  
  
That was of course, when the clock signalled the time: 10:00 AM. With a start, Geese realized that he had until noon, a mere two hours away, to keep Jeff alive. It figures he'd have to rush things.  
  
Rushing, Geese put on his day clothes, which he found in the closet, and rushed out of the room to the lobby, practically flying down the stairs. He paused at the front door.  
  
"Hey pal," he asked the doorman. "You know how to get to Eastside Park? I'm in a hurry."  
  
"Sure," the doorman told him. "But it's a long walk. You're on the other side of town. You can take the bus at the corner, or do you want me to call a cab?"  
  
Checking his wallet, Geese was relieved to find that it was full of money from this era, the same amount he had back in his own time in fact. He put the mystery out of his mind and told the man to flag a ride for him.  
  
Minutes later, Geese was in the back of a taxi headed for his rendezvous with destiny. With the car speeding away on the busy streets, he should arrive just in time if he was lucky.  
  
Five minutes to the deadline, Geese had made and discarded five plans. That was unfortunate, as he had arrived at his destination at last and was out of time. He paid and got out of the car, rushing quickly to the exact spot he was supposed to go to.  
  
He was just in time to see his younger self about to throw a lethal version of the Reppuken at an injured Jeff.  
  
Reacting quickly, for once taking action without thought, he jumped for Jeff. He landed just in front of him, and immediately turned towards the danger.  
  
This didn't, of course, solve the problem of imminent death heading their way. Thinking faster, and reacting faster than the eye can see, he jumped Jeff and tried covering his body with his own.  
  
And that was when the world faded out in great flashes of white, and a sickly sensation came over him and Jeff, causing both to blank out. Geese's last thoughts before he lost consciousness was a silent prayer to God that he had not screwed this up.  
  
***  
  
The world swam back into focus. Geese looked around and found himself in familiar surroundings, though he could not yet identify which it was exactly. He felt hands grabbing hold of his left arm and haul him up.  
  
"On your feet!" a familiar cheery voice gushed at him. Looking up, Geese saw Akiko smiling at him.  
  
"What..." Geese was still somewhat incoherent when he looked around to find himself in his office. He turned behind himself to see Jeff Bogard unconscious behind him. Quickly looking at the calendar on the wall, he noted the date. "We're back?"  
  
"Yup!" Akiko replied. "That was most impressive Geese. A truly self-less act. Throwing yourself in front of someone as a lethal bolt of energy was racing towards them... well, that's truly heroic."  
  
"Please don't talk about that!" Geese replied to her, mortified. "It'll ruin my reputation."  
  
"Don't worry," Akiko snickered. "Nobody will know of this from me. But you should really savor this well Geese. Not everyone gets a second chance. Of course, that's because most everyone would have just screwed it up anyway. For now though, aren't you forgetting something?"  
  
Geese felt a cold dread. Looking at his watch, he suddenly remembered. "The plane! Marie!"  
  
A quick check revealed that he was presentable, and Geese made a quick beeline for the door. He turned the knob and stepped out, then suddenly turned back to Akiko.  
  
"Could you...?" Geese indicated the still prone Bogard with his eyes.  
  
"Don't worry," Akiko promised. "I'll take care of him."  
  
"Thanks a lot," Geese told her. "For everything."  
  
And he was gone like the wind.  
  
***  
  
Jeff awoke a while later to see the face of a very beautiful redhead who was smiling down upon him.  
  
"You're awake," chirped the girl. The way the light in the room played around her face made it seem like she had a halo around her head. "Good, it's about time."  
  
"Is this heaven?" Jeff asked her, as he groggily got up. "It must be if I'm talking to an angel."  
  
Akiko laughed. "Flattery will get you nowhere. You're actually in Geese Howard's office. I'm Akiko Tsukino, and I already know who you are Mr. Bogard."  
  
"A pleasure," Jeff answered warmly. "Wait, didn't Geese try to kill me?"  
  
"You better sit down," Akiko told him. "It's a long story."  
  
***  
  
Akiko spent the better part of the day rehashing the events that led up to the here and now, including her true nature. Jeff was astonished to say the least, knowing that he was in, what in his perception, was the future. He demanded proof, and Akiko simply turned on the computer and showed him the internet. When that failed to convince him, she grabbed him by the waist and jumped through the plate glass window covering one wall of the office.  
  
Jeff screamed like a little girl as they plummeted to their deaths.  
  
"Now I know where Andy got that scream," Akiko snickered as she summoned her wings and they soared up into the air.  
  
Once realizing that they were going UP instead of DOWN, Jeff looked up at Akiko in astonishment.  
  
"Convinced?" Akiko asked him. Jeff could only nod dumbly.  
  
Akiko flew them back into the office and once inside, repaired the window with a wave of her hand. The glass pieces simply flew up and came together again, returned to their unbroken state.  
  
"Why?" Jeff could only ask once he found his voice again. "Why must I be here? For what possible reason must I have been seperated from my family for over a decade?"  
  
"Because champions were needed by the times," Akiko explained patiently. "Your sons were needed, but unless you were out of the picture, they wouldn't become the heroes needed by destiny. Your loss toughened them up and the years of growing up in adversity made them into what they are now. Personally, I didn't like it either, but I don't have the power to change it. Only the Almighty does, and he won't do it. He's the one who ordered it to be this way to begin with. And the time travel is a one time deal. None of us are doing that again unless he lets us."  
  
"Then there's the matter of Geese," Akiko continued. "He may indeed regret a lot of things he did wrong, but he did do some good as the 'King of Southtown'. If Mr. Big was still running this town, things would be a lot worse. There's also that bastard Yamazaki. Geese was the only one who could keep him in line. If it wasn't for Geese, Yamazaki would have gone raping and killing all over town. Then there's the people he helped out, like Ripper, Billy, Hopper and all the others, indirectly or directly. Lily wouldn't be going to school if it wasn't for Geese. Whether he acknoledges it or not, Geese is actually important to the world. For all his sins, he did make the world a better place. He may have tried to kill you and that lead him to a dark path, but in so doing, he ended up actually making things somewhat better. Funny how fate plays out, huh?"  
  
"Yeah funny," Jeff said dejected.  
  
"Cheer up," Akiko told him. "So what if your eldest son is now the same age you are? You get a second chance with them and life in general. That's better than the alternative. God could have simply left you dead."  
  
Jeff nodded. She did have a point, but it didn't salve the fact of why he really felt pathetic.  
  
"It's not that," Jeff replied. "It's just... God didn't trust me to raise my own sons. Am I that horrible a father?"  
  
Akiko laughed. "No, you're a good father, and that's the point. You would have pampered them too much and not be able to properly train them for their destinies because of this fact. Don't worry about it. What this is all about, after all is you getting a second chance."  
  
Jeff smiled at last. That one left him slightly mollified, though his smile was still strained.  
  
Akiko noticed but ignored it for now. He'd come around eventually.  
  
***  
  
Geese came back to his home after only a couple of hours to hear shouts from Akiko and Jeff in the living room. The nature of which was somewhat disturbing.  
  
"I'm going to kick your butt again Bogard! Deadly Rave!" Akiko shouted.  
  
"Damn!" Jeff cursed. "I'm done for!"  
  
Geese raced in, then facefaulted when he saw that both were only playing a video game (1).  
  
"Hey Geese, you all right? That looked like a nasty fall," that was Akiko, turning to Geese.  
  
Geese lifted his face from the ground to see Akiko and Jeff gazing worriedly at him. Then his eyes fixed on the TV and he got to his feet with a little help from Akiko. On the screen was a character taking a victory pose. The thing is, it was one he recognized. Indeed, the character with the short blonde hair in a fighting outfit reminiscent of his own, was taking one of his favorite win poses.  
  
"Akiko-oneechan!" Eight year old Rock Howard practically dove into the redhead's arms.  
  
"Welcome back!" Marie Howard added her own greeting and hug to that of her son.  
  
"It's good to you all too," Akiko smiled warmly.  
  
Geese saw a CD case by the game console. Picking it up, he looked at the title, "Capcom versus SNK 2".  
  
"Where'd you get this?" Geese asked Akiko.  
  
"To be perfectly honest," Akiko replied. "I got it as a sovenier on one mission for the almighty to another dimension, along with most of the games made by those companies. Notice anything about them?"  
  
"I'll say," Geese replied. "That guy on the screen seems to be a video game version of me!"  
  
"That's right," Akiko told him. "Shocked me too when I first saw it. Apparently, the events on one timeline can become the fictional material in another. (2) It really screwed up my sense of reality when I found out that our universe is a series of manga, anime, and video games in several other worlds, while our own fiction can be reality in several others."  
  
"That's deeply disturbing," Geese said quietly.  
  
"No kidding," Marie replied. She, Rock and Jeff had been listening in.  
  
"I think I'm numb to it already, given all the shocks I've had today," said Jeff.  
  
Billy, Ripper, and Hopper entered, loaded down with bags stacked one on top of the other, all the way up to their chins.  
  
Akiko took that as a cue, and introductions were made all round, followed by explanations for the strange fact that the long deceased Jeff Bogard was now very much alive again. Marie and the stooges were a little shocked to say the least. Still, they were silently proud of Geese for finally thinking of making up with the Bogards. For Marie, this was due more for her love of Geese, and while the stooges had that too, they also breathed a sigh of relief for another reason. This meant that it was likely the Bogards and their friends wouldn't attack them anymore. Terry especially.  
  
Geese and Jeff just looked at each other, and everyone could tell that there was a lot of tension between them. They just looked at each other for five minutes, then Jeff nodded and smiled. Geese smiled back.  
  
Marie invited Jeff to stay with them until he could get back up on his feet, and with some cajoling from Marie and Rock, he relented. Naturally, Akiko was welcome too for however long she was staying.  
  
***  
  
(1) Jack Stalk used a similar joke in one of his fics, but I forget which one.  
  
(2) Gregg Sharp, Mark Latus, Jared Ornstead and several other writers used similar concepts to explain alternate universes in their fics. In that sense, much of what Akiko's job is will seem similar to the 'Labors of Grey' written by Gregg Sharp and Jared Ornstead.  
  
***  
  
After dinner, Geese took Jeff with him for a private talk. They went up to Geese's office on the top floor.  
  
The men rode the elevator silently, and once in the privacy of Geese's inner sanctum, Jeff blurted out what was on his mind.  
  
"When can I see my sons?" said Jeff.  
  
"Andy's in Japan with his fiancee," Geese replied. "I told my secretary to send him a message along with two complimentary plane tickets for them. They might be here tommorrow or the day after at the latest. Depends on how often Andy checks his mail."  
  
Jeff mused on Geese's words. His youngest son was getting married?  
  
"As for Terry," Geese continued. "He should be here..."  
  
Suddenly the intercom buzzed.  
  
"That's him now," said Geese, reaching for the button.  
  
"Mister Howard," his secretary said over the line. "Mister Bogard is at the front door."  
  
"Let him in," Geese told her. "Tell him I'm in my office, and let no one try to start a fight with him. Tell him I'll be waiting."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
***  
  
Terry Bogard was psyching up for the upcoming battle as he made his way through the automatic doors of the building. The first few times he had been by, Geese locked them shut in his face but after the third time he broke the doors down with his fists, Geese decided it was better for his wallet just let him in.   
  
Terry stomped his way to the elevator only to see Billy Kane standing outside. Billy saw him and RAN. For once he didn't have to fight the psycho, direct order from the boss, and he was glad.  
  
Terry stood there for a moment confused. Billy usually just attacked with his favored weapon, the three part pole, and he, Terry, would kick his ass. At this point, it was practically routine. The only variance was how he would kick Billy's ass. This change in the routine confused him a bit.  
  
Then he thought that Billy probably ran off to warn his boss, ignoring the fact that security picked him up the moment he got close to the front gate (bear with him, he's streetsmart but largely uneducated after all). Pushing the matter out of his mind, Terry got on the elevator and made his way to the top floor.  
  
The elevator opened finally and Terry raced to Geese's office, where, as by now ritualized, he kicked down the door and screamed his usual battlecry.  
  
"Geese!" screamed Terry. "You killed my...!"  
  
Then he stopped at the person he saw standing next to Geese (who was wearing a business suit rather than his usual hakama).  
  
"Father?" Terry's voice got weak.  
  
"Terry!" Jeff dove and crushed his eldest boy in a bear hug, not noticing the shocked young man was rapidly turning purple. "Oh, son! It's good to see you again!"  
  
"..." Terry couldn't answer. Not only had the unexpected reunion made him speechless, but also the fact that he couldn't breathe was a reason for his silence. Finally, he just fainted.  
  
"Son?" Jeff shook him in his arms to get a reaction, finally slacking his grip. "You alright?"  
  
"Air," Terry gasped out, barely conscious. "Sweet, life giving oxygen! I'll never take breathing for granted again!"  
  
"Oops," Jeff ooped. Geese just laughed at their antics.  
  
***  
  
Obviously Terry was thinking that Geese had come up with some new trick. Jeff asked for privacy and was led to an adjoining lounge to Geese's "encounter room" as he liked to put it, since this was where Geese and Terry usually fought while in the building. Terry was soon crying like a big baby in his father's arms, though still somewhat suspicious of Geese. Three hours later, they went home to Terry's apartment where the whole tale was told between father and son.  
  
"Is it over?" asked Billy as he entered Geese's office, where his boss was.  
  
"Yes," Geese replied. "I'm going home. Close up for the night, would you?"  
  
"Sure thing boss," Billy replied. He went to do just that.  
  
***  
  
Andy was grumbling as he arrived the next day in southtown with Mai Shiranui in tow. Geese's secretary had wisely used Terry's name on the telegram sent to Andy not to arouse suspicion, then told Jeff where he was supposed to meet his youngest son. Eastside park was looking lively that day.  
  
"What the hell is so important that I'm supposed to drop everything to come straight away?" Andy told Mai.  
  
"Oh lighten up," Mai told him. "Terry wouldn't have sent for us if it wasn't important."  
  
"I'm glad you realize that," said a voice to the side. Andy inclined his head to see for himself. The voice was so hauntingly familiar it sent chills up and down his spine.  
  
"D... d..." Andy's jaw dropped when he saw Terry with Jeff. Then he fainted.  
  
"Andy!" Mai shouted. She checked his pulse then his breathing and once more jumped to a conclusion.  
  
"Waah!" Mai cried. "Andy's having a stroke! I'm a widow before I'm even married!"  
  
"Are they always like this?" Jeff asked with a sweatdrop on his head.  
  
"Yes," Terry replied. "You'll get used to it."  
  
***  
  
Pretty soon, the entire gang was at Terry's bachelor pad. This included the ones in the park, along with Mary Ryan and Joe Higashi, who were called in for explanations. Considering that the place had three rooms tops (which were: bathroom aka gas-chamber, kitchen, and small living space with a couch bed and a TV) they were skimped for space. Soon explanations were dealt with for Jeff's miraculous return, though there were plenty of questions.  
  
"You mean Geese didn't kill you at all?" Mary asked.  
  
Jeff nodded.  
  
'But he still killed Butch,' Mary thought, but didn't say aloud.(3)  
  
***  
  
(3) Please remember that this is after Real Bout Fatal Fury, King of Fighters 97 and Fatal Fury 3. The year is 1998 and the events of the previous games occurred with some changes, notably the ending of Real Bout Fatal Fury as shown in the earlier work 'Redemption'.  
  
***  
  
"Geese?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"What about Mary Ryan?" asked Marie Howard. She and her husband were about to go to bed when the strange thought entered her head out of the blue.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Geese slightly puzzled.  
  
"Well, you're making up with the Bogards. The Sakazakis don't really hate your guts as much. Their grudge is against Mister Big anyway. You and Wolfgang are acting like real brothers now. Master Tung is dead so he's out of the picture..."  
  
"But Mary still blames me for what happened to Butch," Geese finished. "You're right, but I don't know how she'll take the truth about it. It could destroy her."  
  
"Or set her free," Marie finished. "It depends on if she believes it or not. But I still think it's better to let her know and give her the chance to lay his ghost to rest rather than having her carry such a burden all the time. Plus, it might help drive her further into Terry's arms, and that would greatly benefit both of them. They deserve each other, especially after all the tragedy they've had to deal with."  
  
"Maybe you're right," Geese conceded. "But I'll deal with it in the morning. Good night."  
  
"Good night"  
  
***  
  
Morning broke far too quickly for Geese's liking. Still, he was up and about at his usual hour, and well on his way to work. He was a man on a mission.  
  
Jeff had gotten settled in back to his home, which Geese had painstakingly reacquired for him as an apology. It was surprisingly intact, and just the way he left it as if the years had not intruded, leading him to suspect that a certain redhead was involved. She always seemed to be when something strange occurred lately.  
  
***  
  
Author's Notes  
  
I received requests to continue this fanfic, but couldn't think of how to do it. Then I read Ramza Lionheart's Geese Howard stories again and thought of how I could also use the time travel to save Jeff Bogard angle, but with a twist that's entirely my own. The result is what you see before you. I sincerely hoped I got the details right, it's been a while since I saw Fatal Fury The Motion Picture. Oh, and Marie Heinlein Howard being a chess player was my idea. If there is anyone else who thought of this idea, I never heard of them before I wrote this story. That part with the video game, well, I like to play Geese a lot in Capcom versus SNK (both 1 and 2). He's much easier to control on the playstation than in the arcade or the neo geo versions of any game in which he has appeared, and the version used for CvS is the best yet. In CvS 1, I just love toggling my options to have a full meter, then using Capcom groove, continuosly deploy the Deadly Rave. If my opponent figures out how to beat that, then I switch to Geese's projectiles or Jai Ken in the EX version. As always, timing is everything with countermoves. In CvS 2, I don't have the option to always used the SDM unless I buy it, so I stick to projectiles and Jai Ken, countering whenever possible. 


End file.
